Local lawmakers: Probe Niagara Falls black water discharge

NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. (AP) — Local lawmakers are asking for a criminal investigation into the discharge of wastewater that turned the water below Niagara Falls black.

The Niagara County Legislature passed resolutions Thursday night that request investigations by the New York state attorney general, the Niagara County district attorney and the federal Environmental Protection Agency.

The legislators want the agencies to probe the July 29 discharge that turned the water near the base of the falls black on a sunny day when the area was crowded with tourists.

The Niagara Falls Water Board says workers at the local wastewater treatment plant let a pump run for too long while emptying a sedimentation basin. The basin contained residue from the cleaning of carbon filters at the plant.